15 Tips to Prevent or Reduce Heartburn

Elevate your head, eat smaller meals, and 13 other ways to ease heartburn.

a woman presses her chest while holding an antacid

By Catherine Guthrie | Experience LifeDecember 5, 2012

Do find out the root cause of your heartburn. Many things — stress, food allergies, structural problems with your esophageal sphincter —can cause or exacerbate the problem.
Do consider raising the head of your bed. Elevating your noggin keeps the contents of the stomach from sliding up against the LES (the sphincter that separates the esophagus from the stomach) while you sleep. Put a 4-by-4-inch piece of wood under the top two legs of your bed. A foam wedge under the mattress may also work.
Do chew thoroughly. Chewing aids digestion by breaking down food and mixing it with digestive enzymes and probiotics in the mouth.
Do consider natural chewing gum after meals. In two recent randomized controlled studies, people prone to heartburn who chewed a piece or two of gum after a heartburn-provoking meal sidestepped the telltale symptoms. Researchers think it’s because the gum stimulates saliva production, which is alkaline. The saliva goes down the esophagus and helps protect the food tube and neutralize some of the acid in the stomach. (Avoid peppermint-flavored gum, which can actually increase the odds of reflux.)
Do chew a tablet or two of DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) 15 minutes before a meal, advises Elizabeth Lipski, PhD, clinical nutritionist and author of Digestive Wellness: Strengthen the Immune System and Prevent Disease Through Healthy Digestion. Licorice contains substances that decrease swelling (a swollen sphincter won’t close correctly) and increases the body’s ability to heal ulcers and inflammation.
Do eat smaller meals. The greater the volume of your meal, the higher the odds it will give you heartburn simply because of the mechanical pressure the weight of the food puts on the LES.
Do encourage the proliferation of dietary enzymes and good bacteria by eating fermented foods rich in probiotics, such as yogurt, kefir, raw cheeses, sauerkraut, lassi, miso, tempeh and kombucha.
Do take a cue from ancient culinary traditions and build a digestive boost into the meal. Nibble on shavings of pickled ginger, spoon up some tangy Indian chutney or savor an umeboshi plum (a pickled fruit found in the Asian or macrobiotic section of the health-food store). “Somewhere along the way, Western cuisine lost those built-in digestive aids,” says Lipski. “Adding one of these foods to your meal can go a long way to stopping heartburn before it starts.”
Do pay attention to what you consume. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to keep things moving. When cooking meat, choose to grill, broil or bake instead of pan fry or deep fry. Try goat’s milk dairy products, which contain less fat than cow’s milk and, as a result, are more easily digestible.
Do limit junk food. “Processed foods are filled with chemicals designed to delay degradation and extend shelf life, and they may have hidden ingredients that do not agree with your GERD,” writes Jorge Rodriguez, MD, author of The Acid Reflux Solution.
Don’t wear your skinny jeans too tight. Constrictive clothing can put pressure on the abdomen. The squeeze can press the stomach’s contents up against the sphincter at the base of the esophagus, which can lead to heartburn.
Don’t eat within two hours before vigorous exercise. Too much vigorous exercise (like jumping rope or fast-paced jogging) can induce acid reflux, even in people who usually don’t suffer from the condition. If you’re at the gym on a full stomach, choose the cycling class over the hip-hop yoga.
Don’t lie down within two to three hours of eating. Gravity is your friend. Give the stomach plenty of time to empty its contents before you get horizontal.
Don’t eat foods that may irritate the inflamed lining of the esophagus, such as citrus juice, tomato juice and spicy foods.
Don’t suck on peppermints to combat the sour taste in your mouth. Peppermint can relax the esophageal sphincter muscle, which could exacerbate your problem.